This is the latest of several milestones the department has achieved over the last
10 years, including:

Creating an endowed chair of petroleum geology,

Increasing graduate stipends, and

Establishing the state of Arkansas’ first and only geosciences doctoral program.

Meeting this latest goal is significant because fellowships provide financial support
for doctoral candidates and help attract the best and brightest students to the University
of Arkansas, said Todd Shields, dean of Fulbright College.

The doctorate in geosciences focuses on the primary research areas of basin evolution
and analysis, which includes multiple aspects of petroleum geology that incorporate
sedimentation, structural geology, stratigraphy and geophysics. Other research specialities
include crustal and mantle composition and tectonic evolution, neotectonics and dynamic
geomorphology, groundwater dynamics, karst hydrology and limnology, paleoclimatology
and geoinformatics, with GIS, remote sensing, GPS geodesy and geospatial analysis.

Christopher L. Liner, the Storm Endowed Chair of Petroleum Geology and chair of the
Department of Geosciences, said that the doctorate is designed for committed scholars
who are preparing to work within the academic community, industry or government. Research
is a core component of the program, which fits with the University of Arkansas’ commitment
to maintaining its status among the 2 percent of universities in America classified
by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as having the highest level
of research.

“Geosciences research requires rigorous observation, quantitative analysis and modeling
in order to yield scientific results that are acceptable for publication in first-rate,
internationally ranked journals,” Liner said. “Meeting this match will allow us to
further enhance our research and degree programs. Great new faculty hires have already
helped to further strengthen the program and it is exhilarating to see the quality
and breadth of the research being conducted.”

Additionally, Liner said that with this achievement, the Department of Geosciences
has received more than $3.2 million in monetary gifts and pledges, and over $12 million
of in-kind software, equipment and data gifts, since the department’s External Advisory
Board was formed a decade ago.

“This is an exciting moment for our advisory board members and all who worked so hard
to reach this achievement,” said Clayton “Yarri” Davis, chair of the department’s
External Advisory Board.

“A big thank you goes out to the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, incredibly
generous donors like Maurice Storm, and everyone who has helped make the Department
of Geosciences what is today,” Davis said. “You have all truly made our degrees even
more valuable. Your work will have a positive, transformational impact on our alma
mater for decades to come, keeping the Department of Geosciences a strong and vibrant
program with a bright future.”

For more information, or to make a gift in support of the Department of Geosciences,
please contact Blake Rickman, director of development and external relations, at 479-575-3712
or brickman@uark.edu.

AbouttheDepartmentofGeosciences: The Department of Geosciences offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in earth science, geography and geology.
Courses focus on oil and gas exploration, environmental problems, historic preservation,
planetary science and the physical, chemical and biological aspects of the earth.
Field camps and research programs hone skills and prepare students for rewarding careers
in all aspects of geosciences.

AbouttheJ. WilliamFulbrightCollegeofArtsandSciences:The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with 19 departments and
43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the core curriculum
for all University of Arkansas students and is named for J. William Fulbright, former
university president and longtime U.S. senator.

AbouttheUniversityofArkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate
students in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas
comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that
promotes personal attention and close mentoring.